Switch-throwing device.



E. R. LOEBNER.

SWITCH THROWING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Z SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

IN VENTOR. ER .Loelwr WITNESSES A TTORNE Y3 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co., WASHINGTON. n. C

E. R. LOEBNER. SWITCH THROWING DEVICE. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE a0, 1011.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. EIZLoeinfr ATTORNYJ WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGR'APH $0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

ERNST RICHARD 'LOEBINER, OF RUFFSDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH-THROWING DEVICE. I

rooaaer.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application filed June 30, 1911. Serial No. 636,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST RICHARD Lone- NER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rufi'sdale, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful I1nprovements in Switch-Throwing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a switch throwing device designed for street railways, and the primary object of my invention isto obviate the necessity of the motor-man, or operator of a car, leaving the same and using a switch lever to throw the tongue of a switch, whereby the car can continue upon the same track or pass on to another track.

Another object of this invention is to provide a switch throwing device that is positive in its action, durable, and free from injury by ordinary use.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the draw-v ings, wherein like numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which Figure l is a plan of a portion of a track and switch provided with the device; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same showing a portion of a car provided with the switch actuating mechanism; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the car, showing part of the actuating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the car showing part of the actuating mechanism; Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of the switch actuating mechanism; Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of a. portion of the track equipment; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal elevation partly in section of the same; Fig. 8 is a top plan of a portion of the track equipment; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a switch tongue actuating member; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 11 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 12 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the track equipment, and Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of switch tongue.

The reference numeral 1 denotes ties or sleepers supporting rails 2 and 3 of a main track and rails 4: and 5 of a siding track, the

passage of a car over said tracks being controlled by a pivoted switch tongue 6. The switch tongue has a roller 7, which is shown in Fig. 10, and is supported by a pin 8 carried by the side of the tongue, said roller having the lower edge thereof projecting below the switch tongue. In lieu of this arrangement of the roller, the tongue 6 can be provided with a. vertical pin 9 and a roller 10 revolubly mounted upon the lower end of the pin. In either instance, the roller eX- tends into a groove 11, disposed at an angle in the upper edge of a sector actuating member 12, mounted upon a shaft 13, journaled in bearings 14 carried by bars 15 secured, as at 16, to the under side of the ties 1 adjacent to the point ofthe switch tongue 6.

The shaft 13 has a crank 17 and pivotally connected to said crank by pin 18 is a connecting rod 19. The opposite end of a rod 19 is pivotally connected by a pin 20 to the lower ends of triangular shaped levers 21 mounted upon a shaft 22, journaled in the depending side walls 23 of a housing 24.-

The housing 24 has the upper edges thereof secured, as at 25, to the bottom plate 26 of a casing 27, and are mounted upon the ties 1 by screw bolts 28, or other fastening means. The casing 27 is located at a point moved from the switch tongue, preferably a distance that will permit of the actuating mechanism of a tongue being brought into play before the car reaches the switch.

The bottom plate 26 of the casing is provided with the openings 29 and 30 vertically alining with openings 31 and 32 in the top plate 33 of the casing, the openings 29 and 31 being located in closer proximity to the one side wall of the casing than the other openings; consequently, one of said openings will be closer to the rail 3 of the main track than the other said opening, and the purpose of this arrangement of the openings will presently appear.

Suitably secured to the bottom plate 26 are depending cups 345 and extending through the bottom of each cup and upwardly into the casing 27 are plungers 35, having the lower ends thereof pivotally connected by pins 36 to the members 21. The upper ends of the plungers are provided with domeshaped heads 37, adapted to protrude through the openings 31 and 32. These heads have peripheral flanges 38 adapted to engage the inner side of the top plate 33 of the casing 27 and limit the upward movement of said heads. The flanges 38 are normally retained in engagement with the plate 33 by coiled compression springs 39 encircling the plungers 35 between the cups 34 and the inner ends of the heads 37 The car equipment comprises hangers 40 carried by the platform 41 of the car and loosely mounted in said hangers is a shaft 42. Mounted upon the shaft 42 between the hangers 40 is an angularly disposed arm 43, having the lower end thereof bifurcated and provided with a small wheel 44, adapted, when in a lowered position, to engage one of the heads 37 of the track equipment. The front side of the arm 43 is connected to a chain 45, attached to and adapted to wind in one direction upon the lower end of a vertical shaft 46 revolubly supported by the platform 41. The rear side of the arm 43 is connected to a chain 47 passing upwardly over a revolublesheave 48, carried by the platform 41, said chain being attached to the shaft 46, as at 49,

to wind in an opposite direction from that of the chain 45. The upper end of the shaft 46 has a hand wheel 50 to facilitate the motor-man or operator of a car in rotating 1 "the shaft; and to lock said shaft in an adjusted position, there is a ratchet wheel 51 and a pawl 52, upon the platform 41 at the base of the shaft.

To shift the shaft 42 whereby the wheel 44 of the arm 43 will be in position to engage one of the heads 37 the platform 41 is provided with another vertical rotatable shaft 53, having the upper end thereof provided with a crank or handle 54 and the lower end with the gear wheel 55. The gear wheel 55 meshes with a sector rack 56, carried by a lever 57 pivotally supported in a horizontal position by a hanger 58 carried by the platform 41. The rear end of the lever 57 is bifurcated, as at 59, to embrace the shaft 42, and upon said shaft are mounted two collars 60 at the sides of the lever, whereby, when the lever is shifted through the medium of the elements 53 to 56 inclusive, the shaft 42 will be shifted to correctly position the wheel 44. In Fig. 1, the switch tongue is closed, whereby a car moving in the direction of the arrow A will pass on to the rolls 4 and 5 of the siding track. To open the switch tongue 6, the motorman or operator of the car rotates the shaft 53 to shift the shaft 42 and position the roller 44, whereby, when it is lowered, it will engage one of the heads 37. To lower the roller 44, the shaft 46 is rotated to wind the chain 45 upon the shaft and lower arm 43; the chain 47 unwinding. With the wheel 44 in a lowered position, it will impinge upon one of the heads 37, and assuming that it engages the head protruding through the opening 31, the plunger bencath said head will be lowered and the triangular member 21 connected to said plunger will be shifted, moving the rod 19 and the actuating member 12. It is through the medium of the groove 11 in said member and the roller 7 riding therein, that the tongue 6 is moved to an open position.

When the head within the opening 31 is depressed and the shaft 22 rocked by the member 21, the other member 21 mounted upon said shaft,is shifted, placing the plunger attached to said member in an elevated position, ready for actuation when it is desired to close the switch tongue. After the switch tongue has been moved, the motorman, or the operator of the car, rotates the shaft 46 and elevates arm 43, whereby it cannot strike any obstructions between the 3 rails.

It is apparent from the foregoing that to close the switch tongue 6, it is necessary that the shaft 42 be shifted, and the arm 43 lowered to engage the head 37 protruding through the opening 32, when the movement of a rod 19 of a member 12 is the reverse of that previously described. "With the heads 37 protruding through the openings 31 and 32, dirt and foreign matter is prevented from entering the casing 27, and the housing 24 prevents the ballast of a road-bed from interfering with the members 21. The rollers 7 and 10 reduce the friction to a minimum when shifting the tongue 6 and the wheel 44 easily rides over the heads 37 to depress the same without injury to said heads.

The device in its entirety can be made of light, durable metal and with such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim, it can be made applicable to steam railways,

What I claim is In a switch throwing device, a track equipment comprising a switch tongue actuating member, a housing, a casing above said housing, plungers arranged in said casing and adapted to be depressed to move said switch tongue actuating member, and a car equipment comprising a shiftable shaft, an arm carried by said shaft and adapted to be lowered to actuate said plungers, means including a shaft and lever adapted to move said shiftable shaft, and means, including a shaft and chains adapt-ed to move said arm.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNST RICHARD LOEBNER.

Witnesses:

MAX H; SRoLovITz, CHRISTINA T. Hoon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

